Adjustments
by Deandra
Summary: Theomund struggles to adapt to married life. ONESHOT. Part 91 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


**_Part 91 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes._**

**_A/N: Slowly but surely we creep toward #100, though I still have a lot of writing to do to get there. I have a few story ideas, but nothing that has inspired me to write it yet. Hopefully it won't take too much longer. And a huge 'Thanks' to Tracey for keeping me on track!_**

**_You lot must all be on vacation since hardly anyone read/reviewed Serendipity, but I will press on anyway for my faithful few. I hope this at least means you're having a fun summer!  
_**

**Adjustments**

**(Sep, 43 IV)**

The courtyard at the foot of the steps up to Meduseld was in chaos. The king and queen had suddenly returned from their traveling, and servants were rushing madly about seeing to baggage, taking charge of horses, and attending their sovereign in any way possible. Added to the confusion was the large number of people who had gathered to welcome them home. Every member of their family who was in the city and available had turned up, which included numerous grandchildren. Friends, too, had put in appearance to greet them and make certain they were returning well and safe.

At length, promising to have a supper in which all could gather to hear of their adventures and catch each other up on any news, Eomer and Lothiriel were finally able to make their way inside with just their family in attendance. However, once they reached the Golden Hall, Eomer was met by his council of advisers, eager to fill him in on the kingship and how his heir had fared in his absence.

Raising a silencing hand, Eomer told them, "I have no doubt that Elfwine did a fine job, and I will meet with you soon to become acquainted with where we stand, but for now I am just returned, I am weary and this discussion can wait for a few days." He did not give them a chance to argue, but strode quickly off toward his bedchamber as his heir grinned behind his hand at the frustrated advisers who were looking mortally affronted.

"Come, my lords," he said, stepping forward, "we still have matters to discuss in our meeting before we adjourn. Until Father is ready to step back into his role as king, you shall have to continue to deal with me." Following him back toward their meeting place, all hastened to assure him they had meant no slight to him by their actions, but Elfwine paid their plaudits no mind. He had little doubt they would find plenty to complain loud and long to his father about the first chance they got. They were extremely fond of finding fault with the way things were done, by the king or his temporary replacement.

Once they were safely behind closed doors and the servants dismissed, Eomer slipped his arms around his wife, murmuring, "Tell me again, why did we come back?"

Laughing, she kissed him tenderly, then replied, "Because you are far too responsible to shirk your duty, no matter how tempting the alternative. However, do not be discouraged. In a sense, this was something of a test. If Elfwine handled things as well as I think he did, despite their complaints, it will make it that much easier for us to make similar journeys when the mood strikes us. And it will be an excellent opportunity for Elfwine to learn to handle the kingship a little at a time, rather than waiting until it is suddenly thrust upon him. We will not burden him completely with the task as yet, but we will still be able to have time to ourselves."

He pulled her closer and leaned his forehead against hers. "The smartest thing this king ever did was marry the scoundrel from Dol Amroth! Who else but you could have dreamed up such a thing, and then managed to actually make it work? Thank you, my love!"

Grinning teasingly at him, she assured, "It has been my pleasure, beloved! I am not sure any other husband would so fully have appreciated my more eccentric 'talents'!"

For several long moments, they became lost in one another, until a knock sounded at the door. With a sigh, Eomer broke off their kiss. "I am beginning to wonder how we ever managed time enough alone to beget five children!"

Laughing, Lothiriel pulled free of his arms and moved toward the door, telling him over her shoulder, "You were far too determined in that regard for them to keep us apart long enough to prevent it!"

She opened the door to reveal their middle child, Theomund. Casting a knowing eye at his father, he grinned as he pulled his mother into an embrace, "Sorry to interrupt, Father! I thought for certain you would have gotten it out of your system by now!"

Eomer strode over and cuffed his shoulder, replying, "If you are very fortunate, you will never get it out of your system! You had best hope you and Fele take after us in that regard!"

Theomund raised his hands in defeat. "I already do, I assure you! Now, if I am forgiven, do you suppose you are willing to share her for a little while? I have greatly missed having Mother near to talk with about things."

Sensing that his son would not have turned up this quickly with such a request unless he truly needed to talk, Eomer shrugged. "I suppose – for a _little_ while. I want her back. I am not through enjoying her company!"

Theomund blushed at the comment, but nodded. It was both pleasing and somewhat embarrassing to have his parents act so amorous with one another, particularly in the presence of their children. Yet, he could not wish for it to be any different. Their unbridled love and devotion for one another was likely the true reason he had taken so long to find a wife – he had been determined to find a woman he could love with equal passion and conviction. And he had found such, though it had taken many years.

His mother did not miss the emotions playing over his face. More than any of her other children, Theomund was rather transparent in his feelings. He felt things deeply and made little effort to hide what he was feeling. Slipping her arm through his, she steered him toward the door. If they were going to have a long, serious talk then they should go to their favorite spot – a bench in her garden.

Once there and settled, Theomund placed his arm around her shoulders and leaned his head against hers. "It is very good to have you home, Mother. I know from your letters that you enjoyed yourself, but I have truly missed you."

After several moments of silence, Lothiriel asked, "How are things going with your new bride, and your new life, dearest? I am assuming that is what you wished to speak about with me."

He nodded his head slightly in response, but said nothing for a time, then explained, "It is wonderful, and challenging and sometimes difficult."

His words hung in the air and she waited for him to elaborate. "You were right – as usual. It has been difficult for Fele to adjust to the idea of being my equal. Sometimes she seems to expect me to give her commands, telling her everything to do. I have had to be very patient in insisting that she is the woman of the house, and she should order it as she chooses. Frideswide seems to accept it more readily, and gradually she has taken me at my word that she is to consider our home her own, and feel welcome to act openly there. As Fele has watched her act freely, slowly she has begun to take the initiative and do likewise."

"But?" Lothiriel asked quietly, not believing that was the entirety of what was on his mind.

"But…there is still fear. I know she tries not to be afraid, but it hurts me to see the worry in her eyes that something she says or does might displease me, with…painful results. She watches anxiously for my approval in everything," he plaintively explained.

Pressing a kiss to his head, she reminded him, "Dearest, it has only been a couple of months. Give her time. She will eventually come to trust that it is safe to displease you. Just continue to love her, and accept her as she is. Sooner or later you will unwittingly make a comment in annoyance or displeasure, and then she will see that you are not like Orgel, and she need not fear you. But you _must_ be patient. Her fear took time to learn – it will take even longer to unlearn."

Tears were slipping down Theomund's cheeks and he brushed at them as he nodded his understanding.

"Tell me, dearest, _has_ Fele done anything you did not like – even slightly?" Lothiriel questioned.

He looked up in surprise at the query, and then shrugged. "I suppose so…yes."

"Have you told her, or have you kept it hidden?" Lothiriel persisted, knowingly.

He blushed, then confessed, "I have not dared say anything for fear of her reaction."

"Then how do you expect her to learn that it is safe? You must let her see your displeasure, but do it when you are in control and can be certain to do it in a loving, gentle way. That is how she will come to know it is different with you."

Theomund considered that, then nodded again. "You are right. I just…I love her so very much that I cannot bear to think of her afraid of me, of her reacting as she did before…"

"All the more reason you need to teach her differently before you accidentally speak or act in annoyance. She is still trying to learn what you expect of her, so teach her that all you expect is her love, and that all the rest is not very important. Do not wait for her to stop being afraid – teach her it is safe not to be. Put your arms around her and hold her lovingly when you ask her not to do something that bothers you. Kiss her tenderly and hold her close when you explain you do not like your food cooked a certain way. She cannot help but learn what you are trying to say."

xx

Theomund tried to do as his Mother counseled, though he could not help feeling uncertain in his dealings with Fele. More and more she seemed on edge lately, and he kept thinking he must be doing something to cause her agitation.

He tried wrapping his arms around her as he cajoled her to eat more dinner, but she stiffened in his embrace and still did not clean her plate.

In the first weeks of their marriage, despite a servant and Frideswide overseeing the running of the household, she had insisted on taking part in the evenings, so as to be a proper wife. But lately, she seemed disinterested in such things, and left the household work to her mother and the servant. Theomund had been pleased by her desire to keep her hand in, despite working during the day, but he dared not reproach her decision to step back from it, thinking she would take the criticism poorly.

More and more distance was building between them and he could not quite find a way to bridge it. He had no specific complaints he could bring to her attention; indeed, he found her presence in his house quite amiable most of the time. True, it had taken time to get used to other people in the house, constantly having someone around when he was used to solitude. Their habits often differed from his own, though he could not get worked up about things being put in different places than before since there was usually someone there to tell him where something had been moved to. It had been trickier getting used to things being moved around in his bedchamber, some of which seemed unnecessary, but since he had wanted Fele to feel at home there, he had not commented on any changes that she made, even when they made no sense to him.

And, increasingly, it seemed she retired to bed early and was asleep when he joined her. Early on, she had been enthusiastic about sharing his bed and exploring the joys of marriage, but now her interest appeared to have waned, and he found himself wanting her but afraid to pursue her.

That was the thing that disturbed him most. Admittedly, this was all new to him and quite interesting and exciting, but he was uncertain what her diminished interest meant. Was she displeased with him, was he doing something wrong that put her off, was she afraid to tell him he was…

His good humor and light teasing did not improve things; they only seemed to make her more tense and defensive than before. Desperately wanting to recapture their initial bliss with one another, he locked the shop door midday and went to draw her from her work. As she was often tired in the evenings lately, perhaps she needed a break to just relax and for them to spend time together.

Entering her work area and slipping his arms around her, he began to kiss her neck tenderly to give her an indication of what he had in mind. But rather than reciprocate as she had before, she attempted to shrug him off. "Theomund, I have work to do. Now is not the time for such things."

Frowning, he rested his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her, saying, "Can your work not wait until tomorrow, beloved? You have been so tired in the evenings that I thought we might get an early start on a bit of fun."

He dropped a kiss on her head, but she did not respond accordingly. Instead, she put down her tools and the jewel she was forming, and pressed her hand to her temple. For a moment, he faltered in his goal, but then pressed on, thinking a bit of play was just what she needed. As he went to slip his arms around her waist, she stood abruptly and moved away him, exclaiming, "I told you no! Did I not make myself clear?"

Theomund's jaw literally dropped at this vehement declaration from the normally timid woman he had married. Not surprisingly, she whirled around looking quite alarmed by her outburst. "Theomund, I am sorry! I should not…I did not…" Her eyes filled with tears of frustration as she struggled for words to express her feelings.

Unable to suppress a grin of delight, he moved slowly toward her. "You shouted at me! I cannot believe it! That is wonderful!"

Her eyes flicked up from where she had focused them on the floor, utter bewilderment on her face. "What?"

Taking her hands, he smiled, "I _want_ you to feel free to tell me if I am annoying. I do not want you to merely suffer with whatever I say or do because you feel you must, beloved. Please, tell me what is troubling you so I may do what I can to fix things. I find myself almost as afraid to say things to you as I believe you are to speak them to me. I do not like the distance that has grown between us."

Fele dropped dejectedly back into her workchair and let her face fall into her hands as she wept. After a moment, Theomund moved to wrap his arms around her. "What is it, sweetest? Tell me."

Through her tears, Fele finally managed to stammer, "I…I do not know! I am always tired and dizzy and my head hurts. I want to be a proper wife, but when I come home in the evenings I am too weary to do anything about the house. All I want to do is sleep, and now I am not being a good mother to Eledher or, worse, a good wife to you. I hate turning away from you and I know I have a duty to…"

He cut her off then. "Hush! I do not want to hear of your supposed 'duty'. I would have you come to me because you wish to, not because the law says that as my wife you must. I do not consider you a bad wife or mother just because you are too tired and unwell to feel like doing certain things, but I _would_ have you see a healer to learn if there is something they can do to help you feel better – feel like you did before. I am concerned about you, beloved."

She stood and turned, stepping willingly into his embrace and weeping against his chest. "I love you, Theomund. Truly I do. Please do not think that I do not wish to come to you. I just…cannot."

Holding her close, he nodded. "Then we will wait until you can. In the meantime, come. I will take you to the healer now and see if anything can be done. I do not want you to suffer so."

xx

Theomund fidgeted as he waited for the healer to finish examining Fele. It was aggravating to know there was nothing he could do to resolve matters. He had been used to digging in and working whenever there was a problem, but in this instance he must leave it to others.

At length, the door to the other room opened and his wife rushed out and into his arms, hugging him tightly. Trying to be patient, he cast an eye at the healer, but she offered nothing in the way of an explanation, clearly intending to leave it to Fele to tell him of her findings.

Finally, Fele tilted her head and smiled uncertainly at him, watching carefully for his reaction. "I…it is possible that I am with child, dearest."

For several moments, her words didn't quite penetrate his consciousness. Whatever he had expected the healer to learn, this possibility had never crossed his mind, though he could not think why it hadn't. A father – him? He had longed for it, even when he had not yet found a wife. His siblings had teased him relentlessly, saying to hurry up and wed if he wanted children of his own, rather than always borrowing theirs. And, now, it had finally happened and the notion was too overwhelming to comprehend.

"Theomund? Are you…pleased?" Fele inquired, eyeing him warily.

"Pleased? I am thrilled!" The full impact hit him and he let out a loud whoop, catching her up in his arms and twirling her around.

The healer chuckled in amusement, and then slipped away to allow them privacy in discussing their new status. For a long while, Theomund just stood with his wife wrapped in his embrace, still unable to voice his feelings. Suddenly, he pulled back and looked at her in concern.

"Should you still be working? Do I need to get another servant? I must get busy on the nursery…"

Laughing, Fele caught his face between her hands. "Calm down, Theomund! Women have children every day. I may work as long as I feel well enough to do so, we do not need another servant, and you have several months to get the nursery in order for our child."

Kissing her fervently, Theomund took her into his embrace once more. "Thank you, beloved," he whispered. "Thank you for this wondrous gift. I have long wanted to be a father, but not until I met you did I find the person I wanted as the mother of my children."

Tears flowed down Fele's cheeks at his pronouncement. _How had she ever been so fortunate as to win this man's heart? Had anyone ever been so loved as he loved her?_ It was hard to imagine it could be so, but she would gladly sacrifice anything to make him happy all the rest of his days, and fill his home with their children. She knew from experience that bearing and raising a child was hard work, but she had little doubt he would be at her side every step of the way, sharing the burden however much he could.

Pulling back, he gazed into her eyes, and suggested, "Let us go share this wonderful news with your mother and Eledher. They will want to rejoice with us."

Nodding silently, she took his arm and they made their way home. As they entered the house, far earlier than usual, Frideswide was not to be found. The servant told them that she and Eledher had gone into town for a bit of shopping, and left only a few minutes before.

Though somewhat disappointed at this turn of events, Theomund took advantage of the wait for their return to spend some time alone with his wife. Guiding her to the back garden, he settled on the bench there and pulled her into his lap, cuddling her close.

For a long while they sat, content to be together and enjoying the prospect of parenthood. Eventually, though, Theomund's thoughts drifted back to earlier and the conversation he had had with his mother upon her return from traveling. Risking the destruction of their time of peace, he ventured, "Beloved…would you try to do something for me?"

Fele drew back from where her head lay against his shoulder to look questioningly at him, waiting for him to continue. "Of course, my love. What is it?"

Tightening his hold on her, he said quietly, "I want you to tell me when something bothers you – whether it is me, or feeling unwell, or worry, or whatever it may be. You do not need to fear my reaction. I _can_ take your censure, and I will not be angry or upset with you for it. I do not like to see you so worried about pleasing me, fearful of what I will do if you fail to accomplish it. You please me just by loving me, by being my wife and waking beside me each morning. I do not care about the particulars of how the house is kept or what you serve for meals or anything else but you and Eledher and Frideswide, and our little family."

"But…" she began to respond, but he raised a hand and pressed his fingers to her lips to silence her.

"I have seen it in your eyes, the worry and the fear. More than anything else, I want you to trust me and not fear that I will ever treat you as Orgel did. I know you do not intend to be fearful, that you cannot help yourself, but I should very much wish to have you voice your opinion or argue or tell me you do not like something I do or the way I do it. I promise to try and correct anything you find bothersome, and if I should mention wanting you to do something differently or that I do not like something, it does not mean I do not love you. It will take time for us to grow comfortable together, but even my parents, at this point in their life, sometimes have reason to challenge each other about behavior or actions they find displeasing in the other. And then they take very great pleasure in making up after their quarrel. I would certainly like to emulate that!"

Against her will, she let out a laugh at his remark, then smiled sheepishly at him. "I will try, my love. I…I cannot promise. It is difficult to…" She stumbled to a stop in her words, and he nodded.

"I know. Just try, dearest. This is your home and your family as much as it is mine. You have an equal say in how things are done. Always remember that. And remember that I am very new to this husbanding thing and will likely make many mistakes that will aggravate you and make you fuss at me. With your love and forebearance, I will try to learn quickly how to be a good husband." He kissed her tenderly to emphasize his commitment.

With a sigh, she laid her head back on his shoulder and told him, "I do not think there is much room for improvement, Theomund, but I will tell you if there is. Thank you for being so patient with me about this."

Wordlessly he readjusted his embrace and pulled her closer, and they lapsed into silence once more. They were almost sorry when they heard Frideswide and Eledher return, reluctant to interrupt this quiet interlude, but eagerness to share their welcome news won out, and they rose to enter the house.

By the time they located Frideswide, putting some packages away in her room, Eledher had already gone back out to play with some friends he had encountered on the way home. Rather than wait, they decided to share the news with Frideswide anyway. When they turned up at her bedchamber door, she greeted them with a questioning eye. Before they could speak, however, a slow, knowing smile washed over her face.

"Mother! I am with child!" Fele exclaimed, rushing to hug her mother.

Frideswide cuddled her daughter close, grinning at Theomund over Fele's shoulder. "Yes," she murmured with amusement, "I rather suspected you were."

Theomund blinked at her comment, then threw his head back and laughed. Apparently it wasn't just _his_ mother who knew everything!

THE END

8/8/06 – 8/10/06

_**End note: It is not essential that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written, but there is an advantage to doing so. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order (#15 came after #17, I think), but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.**_


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